Cilantro is the fragrant, zesty green herb also known as fresh coriander. It is used a lot in Latin American and South East Asian cuisine. It tastes bright and citrus-y to many of us, but soapy to those of us with a genetic variant. High in Vitamins A, C and K, cilantro is proven to have anti-cancer properties as well as the ability to clear toxic heavy metals from our bodies gently and quickly. Many of us have accumulated heavy metals like mercury, lead and aluminum without realizing it. Hair or urine testing can let you know. These heavy metals cause symptoms such as hormone imbalances, thyroid dysfunction, neurological disturbances, mental fog, depression, allergies and even cancer. This delicious, inexpensive, easy to make pesto utilizes common ingredients to help your body remove- or chelate these toxic metals from your body. You can use it on top of your veggies, meat, fish, eggs or with anything that sounds good to you!

Cleansing Cilantro Pesto

4 cloves garlic

1/3 cup Brazil nuts (selenium)

1/3 cup sunflower seeds (cysteine)

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (zinc, magnesium)

2 cups packed fresh cilantro (coriander, Chinese parsley) (vitamin A)

2/3 cup flaxseed oil

4 tablespoons lemon juice (vitamin C)

2 tsp dulse (seaweed) powder

Sea salt to taste

Process the cilantro and flaxseed oil in a blender until the cilantro is chopped. Add the garlic, nuts and seeds, dulse and lemon juice and mix until the mixture is finely blended into a paste. Add a pinch to sea salt to taste and blend again. Store in dark glass jars if possible. It freezes well, so purchase cilantro in season and fill enough jars to last through the year.

Two teaspoons of this pesto daily for three weeks is enough to increase the urinary excretion of mercury, lead, and aluminum, thus effectively removing these toxic metals from our bodies. Consider doing this cleanse for three weeks at least once a year. Enjoy!